For years, Joaquin Phoenix and Rooney Mara have kept their relationship intensely private.
The couple, who took their relationship public for the first time in 2017, are famously quiet about their relationship.
In fact, when the couple walked the red carpet at the 2020 Golden Globes together, many viewers admitted they didn’t even know the pair were together.
Phoenix, who won a Golden Globe for Best Actor – Drama for his appearance in Joker, grew emotional when he thanked Mara during his acceptance speech.
"Todd, you were such an amazing friend and collaborator, you convinced me to do this movie," he said, thanking Joker director Todd Phillips. "I'm such a pain in the ass, I cannot believe you put up with me."
"Rooney, I love you," he added, tearfully.
The rumours published in The Cut about their marriage plans, however, weren't exactly true.
In May 2019, Mara was spotted wearing a diamond ring on her left hand, sparking rumours that the pair were engaged.
Two months later, the couple confirmed their engagement.
Interestingly, Phoenix actually faked his own engagement back in 2014, when he announced that he was marrying his yoga instructor on the Late Show with David Letterman.
"I think like my life's so boring, and it seemed like something exciting to talk about, and I wanted the audience to like me," he told Good Morning America, explaining why he faked the news. "They really like people getting married."
Amid the release of the critically-acclaimed Joker, Phoenix and Mara made several public appearances together.
In August 2019, the pair attended the premiere of the film at the Venice Film Festival.
The next month, at the Toronto International Film Festival, Phoenix thanked Mara on stage, calling the 34-year-old his "filthy dragon".
"One last thing, somewhere here, I don’t know where, is a filthy dragon, and I want to rip its wings off and fasten a blanket and sleep with it forever. I love you. Thank you," he said.
Most recently, Phoenix and Mara are partly responsible for the 2020 Golden Globes deciding to serve a completely vegan meal at the show.
"Joaquin and Rooney Mara sort of organised that. In the vegan mafia, Joaquin and I have known each other for decades – and I don’t know if I’m even allowed to say this – but I know that he was one of the people who helped arrange that. I don’t know if it was predominantly him or with other people, but he had mentioned to me a while ago that he was working on it," Moby told Page Six.
Joaquin's representative confirmed that he was behind the change to go vegan at the Golden Globes, adding, "By acknowledging animal agriculture’s role in the degradation of our planet and boldly taking measures to do its part to reduce harm, the [ Hollywood Foreign Press Association] has shown great leadership."
Feature Image: Getty.
This post was originally published on January 7, 2020, and updated on May 19, 2020.
For more on this topic:
- A cult, the death of a brother, and "incredible anxiety". The complicated life of Joaquin Phoenix.
- The curse of the Joker: The downside of playing the world's most infamous villain.
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